The Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Clippers have been discussing the possibility of completing a trade headlined by Magic shooting guard Arron Afflalo and prized L.A. point guard Eric Bledsoe in conjunction with Thursday’s NBA draft, according to sources close to the process.

Sources told ESPN.com on Tuesday that a trade with those two players as the principles could happen as soon as this week and potentially could be expanded to include Magic forward Andrew Nicholson and a future first-round pick as compensation for the highly coveted Bledsoe.

My take is the Nicholson and future first round pick are what the Clippers want out of this deal, not what is actually on the table. The Clippers think they have leverage here because new coach Doc Rivers is a Bledsoe fan. That’s what they are selling.

But the Clippers know their roster needs upgrades to be the contenders they are expected to be with Doc Rivers and Bledsoe is a key trade asset to get some of that talent.

Afflalo would be a great fit for the Clippers — he brings needed perimeter defense at the two and floor spacing shooting (career 38.3 percent from three, last season that number dropped because he was forced to create more offense for the shorthanded Magic, that will not be an issue in Los Angeles). Afflalo is a fit and an upgrade that is perfect for Los Angeles.

The Magic want to build with good young players and Bledsoe fits that better than Jameer Nelson does. Much better.

The Clippers have been hesitant to make a move with Bledsoe until Chris Paul re-signed, he was sort of the insurance policy in case CP3 bolted; but with Doc Rivers signed the Clippers rightfully feel confident in CP3’s return.

To make the numbers work out, Caron Butler likely would be headed to Orlando. Other pieces may or may not be added.

This may happen by the draft, or it may be a few weeks, but this remains the most likely trade for Bledsoe.

In fact, in Saturday’s dunk contest, he didn’t look like a dunker at all.

The Pacers star missed all three attempts of his first dunk, and a Black Panther mask was by far the biggest draw of his second. Oladipo was eliminated after the first round.

Maybe Dennis Smith Jr. wasn’t the only eliminated dunker who left something in his bag. This Oladipo dunk – 180 degrees, throwing ball off the backboard with his left hand while in mid-air, dunking with his right hand – while preparing in Los Angeles was awesome.

A statement released Wednesday by the NFL and NBA clubs says their 90-year-old owner is resting comfortably at Ochsner Medical Center, a hospital which also serves as a major sponsor and which owns naming rights to the teams’ training headquarters.

Benson has owned the New Orleans Saints since 1985 and bought the New Orleans Pelicans in 2012.

In recent years, Benson has overhauled his estate plan so that his third wife, Gayle, would be first in line to inherit control of the two major professional franchises.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said he’d be surprised if Kawhi Leonard played again this season, a stark reversal from just a month ago. Back then, even while announcing Leonard was out indefinitely with a quad injury, the San Antonio coach said Leonard wouldn’t miss the rest of the season.

After spending 10 days before the All-Star break in New York consulting with a specialist to gather a second opinion on his right quad injury, All-NBA forward Kawhi Leonard bears the burden of determining when he’s prepared to play again, sources told ESPN.

Leonard has been medically cleared to return from the right quad tendinopathy injury, but since shutting down a nine-game return to the Spurs that ended Jan. 13, he has elected against returning to the active roster, sources said.

The uncertainty surrounding this season — and Leonard’s future which could include free agency in the summer of 2019 — has inspired a palpable stress around the organization, league sources said.

At first glance, this sounds like Derrick Rose five years ago. Even after he was cleared to play following a torn ACL, the then-Bulls star remained mysterious about when he’d suit up. His confidence in his physical abilities seemed to be a major issue, and he was never the same player since (suffering more leg injuries).

But the Spurs famously favor resting players to preserve long-term health. They seem unlikely to rush back Leonard. They might even sit players who want to play more often. And Leonard isn’t Rose.

Still, it’s clear something is amiss in San Antonio. Maybe not amiss enough to end Leonard’s tenure there, but the longer this lingers, the more time for tension to percolate.